White House Death Star Petition: An Informative Letter From the White House Obliterates a Dumb Request

In early November, John D., of Longmont, Colorado, created a petition on the White House petition site asking the government to, "secure resources and funding to begin the construction of a Death Star by 2016." By its closing date the petition had received 34,435 signatures.

Now, obviously there was no merit or seriousness to this petition. However Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget came back with a reply. His reply has to be the funniest petition response to date and surprisingly, one of the most informative. Here is the response:

This Is Not the Petition Response You're Looking For

By Paul Shawcross, Chief of the Science and Space Branch at the White House Office of Management and Budget

— The construction of the Death Star has been estimated to cost more than $850,000,000,000,000,000. We're working hard to reduce the deficit, not expand it.

— The Administration does not support blowing up planets.

— Why would we spend countless taxpayer dollars on a Death Star with a fundamental flaw that can be exploited by a one-man starship?

However, look carefully (here's how) and you'll notice something already floating in the sky — that's no Moon, it's a Space Station! Yes, we already have a giant, football field-sized International Space Station in orbit around the Earth that's helping us learn how humans can live and thrive in space for long durations. The Space Station has six astronauts — American, Russian, and Canadian — living in it right now, conducting research, learning how to live and work in space over long periods of time, routinely welcoming visiting spacecraft and repairing onboard garbage mashers, etc. We've also got two robot science labs — one wielding a laser — roving around Mars, looking at whether life ever existed on the Red Planet.

We are living in the future! Enjoy it. Or better yet, help build it by pursuing a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field. The President has held the first-ever White House science fairs and Astronomy Night on the South Lawn because he knows these domains are critical to our country's future, and to ensuring the United States continues leading the world in doing big things.

If you do pursue a career in a science, technology, engineering or math-related field, the Force will be with us! Remember, the Death Star's power to destroy a planet, or even a whole star system, is insignificant next to the power of the Force.